For all the talk about what he’ll do in the 40-yard dash, Clowney was quite underwhelming on the bench press. There were only 13 defensive linemen this year who had fewer reps than Clowney and 36 had as many or more. Compare Clowney’s numbers to Mario Williams’, who in the 2006 Combine had 35 reps.

What does it mean? Who knows, other than it’s clear Clowney either lacks the strength or strength endurance to push past a below average performance in this one test. It's worth noting, though, that Clowney has long arms — 34-1/2 inches — which makes reps harder to come by. For instance, running back Jerrick McKinnon from Georgia Southern had 32 reps, but his arms are only 30-1/4 inches long.

At 6-5 and 266 pounds, Clowney will surely prove to be one of the fastest linemen at the Combine. It’s his speed that has allowed him to blow by offensive tackles en route to the quarterback. He was often double- and triple-teamed this year and his numbers reflected that. Now we see that he may not have been physically strong enough to overpower that kind of pressure, too.

Clowney’s college coach at South Carolina pointed out last week that Clowney has room to get stronger and add to his frame. He also said that Clowney’s work ethic was “just OK.”

“I don’t have much to say about it,” Clowney told reporters at the Combine. “That’s just (his) opinion. I believe I did work hard. If you watch the tape, everybody can see I’m playing hard.”

In Spurrier’s defense, he never said that Clowney didn’t play hard. In fact, he said once the ball is snapped, Clowney is one of the most explosive players the game has seen.

Right now, though, he’s just not a strong one. At least not at the Combine.

“I wish (the Falcons) could trade up for me,” he said. “I hope I don’t fall to No. 6. I like Atlanta— a lot. They’re pretty good. They’ve got some guys from South Carolina on the team, also. And it’s close to home.”